Chelsea defended brilliantly at the Olympic Stadium to beat a Barcelona side aiming to win the trophy for the third time in four seasons. Jonatan Giraldez's side, who hammered Chelsea in the 2021 final and shaded a tight battle in last season's semis against the Blues, were left frustrated in their first home defeat in over five years. Hayes is hoping to crown the end of her time with Chelsea before taking over the US women's national team, with her first Champions League triumph as a coach. After... Читать дальше...
Duplantis, the reigning Olympic, two-time world and European champion, fired out a warning to any potential rivals at this summer's Paris Games by sailing over 6.24 metres at his first attempt at the Egret Stadium to improve by 1cm his previous best set in Eugene last year. The US-born 24-year-old entered competition at 5.62m, clearing 5.82 and 6.00m before setting the new world record -- his eighth in the discipline, each by 1cm since first breaking the record in February 2020 in Torun, Poland. Читать дальше...
Five children aged one to seven and a 16-year-old girl were among the dead, along with two women and a man, according to the city's Al Najjar hospital. "Nine martyrs including six children were pulled out from the rubble after Israeli air forces struck a house of the Radwan family in Tal al-Sultan in Rafah," Gaza Civil Defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said in a statement. Outside the hospital an AFP journalist saw people grieving over small body bags. A woman stroked a dead boy's forehead as planes rumbled overhead. Читать дальше...
Millions of Ecuadorans will cast ballots in a referendum on Sunday to decide whether or not to green-light stricter measures against organised crime in a country gripped by bloody gang wars.
Iran has dismissed as akin to child's play the reported Israeli retaliation for an unprecedented Iranian strike, as both sides on Saturday appeared to step back from wider conflict stemming from the war in Gaza. Israel had warned it would hit back after Iran fired hundreds of missiles and drones one week ago in retaliation for a deadly April 1 air strike –which Iran blamed on Israel – that levelled the Iranian consulate in Damascus and killed seven Revolutionary Guards.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh began talks in Istanbul on Saturday as tensions in the Middle East soar, Turkish media reported. "It is quite likely that Turkey aims to position itself as a mediator in the conflict and perhaps take over Qatar's role," said Selin Nasi, visiting fellow at the London School of Economics.
But a deadly blast at an Iraqi military base emphasised the high tensions which persist, and witnesses in Gaza reported more strikes there. Fears of a wider Middle East war escalated this month. Israel had warned it would hit back after Iran fired hundreds of missiles and drones one week ago in retaliation for a deadly April 1 air strike -- which Iran blamed on Israel -- that levelled the Iranian consulate in Damascus and killed seven Revolutionary Guards. The Israeli retaliation appeared to come on Friday... Читать дальше...
Kyle Chalmers was also in blistering form at the Australian championships, swimming a lightening 100m free to lay down a marker ahead of the Olympics. O'Callaghan hit the wall on the Gold Coast in an eye-popping 1min 53.57sec, with an explosive last 50 pulling her away from Titmus, who touched second in 1:55.38. "I'm always striving to go fast," said O'Callaghan, who also won the 100m title. "The 200 is a difficult event to work out and this was the last time to get it worked out before trials."... Читать дальше...
The explosion hit the Kalsu military base in Babylon province south of Baghdad, where Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces, or Hashed al-Shaabi, is stationed. It comes days after Iran launched an unprecedented assault on Israel which reportedly responded with a drone strike on the Islamic republic, amid tensions fuelled by the Gaza war. The Iraqi security forces media unit said "an explosion and a fire" hit the Kalsu base in the early hours of Saturday, leaving one person dead and eight wounded.... Читать дальше...
"The entire kibbutz is my garden now," Shnurman said as he pointed to the lush vegetation peppered by the stark colour of citrus and loquat. Since he and his wife Ayelet Khon returned in December to their community decimated by Hamas militants, they've strived to "live a normal life in an abnormal place". They've been picking fruits, drinking coffee on their terrace, and organising a barbecue every Monday. Over the course of 24 terrifying hours, locked inside their safe room, the couple heard... Читать дальше...
The athletes included nearly half of the swimming team that China sent to Japan, with several going on to win medals, including gold, according to the report. Many are expected to be in contention again at the Paris Olympics this summer. The newspaper reported that they tested positive for a prescription heart drug that can enhance performance at a domestic meet in late 2020 and the first days of 2021. But it was determined by Chinese anti-doping authorities that they ingested the substance unwittingly... Читать дальше...
The mayor of a mining town in violence-riddled Ecuador was shot dead Friday, the second such killing in days ahead of a weekend referendum on tougher measures against organized crime, police said. Jorge Maldonado, the mayor of Portovelo, was gunned down by two attackers on a motorcycle.
Hamas political leader Imsail Haniyeh will meet Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday with Middle East tensions at a high after Israel's reported attack on Iran and Gaza bracing for a new Israeli offensive. "Haniyeh sees Erdogan as a man with a voice in Washington and in Europe," FRANCE 24's Jasper Mortimer said, adding that Erdogan who "likened Israel to Nazi Germany" has, however, "no chance of mediating between Hamas and Israel".
A huge blast rocked a military base in Iraq late on Friday, leaving a 5-metre-deep and 10-metre-wide crater in the ground, FRANCE 24 Regional Correspondent Lina Malers said. The explosion, which killed one person and injured eight others, hit the base at Calso, where former pro-Iranian paramilitary group Hashed al-Shaabi – now integrated into the regular army – is stationed.
Verstappen clocked a fastest lap of 1min 33.660sec to cap a perfect day after earlier cruising to a sprint race victory at the Shanghai International Circuit. "The car worked even better in qualifying," said Verstappen, who recorded the Red Bull team's 100th pole position and his first in China. "That final lap felt pretty decent and very happy to drive here in the dry, it was a lot of fun." Lando Norris will start on the second row in his McLaren alongside Alonso for Sunday's race, the first... Читать дальше...
Iran on Friday down played an apparent Israeli airstrike near a major air base and nuclear site in central Iran. Authorities said air defenses fired at a major air base near Isfahan, which long has been home to Iran’s fleet of American-made F-14 Tomcats — purchased before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The United States agreed Friday to withdraw its more than 1,000 troops from Niger, officials said, upending its posture in West Africa where the country was home to a major drone base.
Several people were wounded in a “bombing” overnight on an Iraqi military base housing a coalition of pro-Iranian armed groups, two security sources said early Saturday.
The Dutchman charged past the seven-time world champion Hamilton's Mercedes on lap nine of the 19-lap dash. Red Bull team mate Sergio Perez was third after a thrilling battle with the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, and the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso. "The first few laps were hectic," said Verstappen after claiming the eight points on offer for the winner of the first sprint of the season at the Shanghai International Circuit. "The wind is changing a lot which makes it difficult to drive. Читать дальше...
World leaders called for de-escalation in the Middle East after Iran's state media reported explosions in the central province of Isfahan on Friday and US media quoted officials saying Israel had carried out retaliatory strikes on its arch-rival. Iranian officials played down the incident and said the blasts caused no major damage. Israel had previously warned it would hit back after Iran fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel last weekend. Read our liveblog to follow today's events in the Middle East.
In the Western Conference, the New Orleans Pelicans, also missing their key man with forward Zion Williamson out with a hamstring injury, beat the Sacramento Kings 105-98 to set up a first-round series with the number one seed Oklahoma City Thunder. It is the second straight season that Miami have earned the eighth-seed spot via the play-in tournament and they will play the Celtics for the fourth time in the last five post-seasons. Butler suffered a sprained MCL knee ligament in Wednesday's defeat... Читать дальше...
Residents fear that the Cerro Blanco site, which has been granted permission by Guatemala to convert from an underground to open-pit mine, will contaminate Lake Guija. "All these extraction projects do is sell out our environment and our future," said Claudia Rodriguez, a 41-year-old member of an association of women environment defenders. "The goal is for Cerro Blanco to close, even if we have to give our lives for it," she said. The previous Guatemalan government in January gave approval to... Читать дальше...
Millions of Indians began voting on Friday in a six-week election that's a referendum on Narendra Modi, the hardline populist prime minister who has championed an assertive brand of Hindu nationalist politics and is seeking a rare third term as the country's leader. As Indians head to the polls in the world's largest election, FRANCE 24's Gavin Lee and Leela Jacinto are joined by Amandeep Sandhu, Punjabi author, journalist and columnist.
